Agricultural machine



April 30, 1940. G. DEGRELLE AGRICULTURAL MACHINE Filed Feb. 25, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet l 6. refla 1 April 30, 1940. e. DEGRELLE AGRICULTURAL MACHINE Fi led Feb. 2:, 1938 s Sheets-Sheet 2 April 30, 1940. G. DEGRELLE 2,198,864

, 7 AGRICULTURAL MA-CHINE Filed Feb. 25, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Apr. 30, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AG uouLT RAn MACHINE Georges Degrel le, Marcq en Baroeul, Nord, France Application February 2a, 1938, SerialNo. 192,174.

In France March 9,1937 v f4Claims. (01.97-233) The present invention relates to a; machine which permits of performing, ina single passage and on a certain number of lines or:rows, various agricultural operations which, have hitherto required several passages with machines of different types and operating, as a rule, upon one row at a time. a a i The said machine is chiefly characterized by the fact that His provided, at the front part,

with a sighting device, the position of which is adjustable with reference to the lines of cultiva- 1 tion and with reference to the Wheels of the machine and the tools which it carries, in suchway that it will Sllfl'lce, during the displacement of .the machine, to maintain the saidsighting device upon a given line (line of plants, furrow, cord etc.) in order that the tools and the wheels of the machine shall move between the rows of seeding,

ways exactly parallel to the said rows.

This will afford a most approved passage of the toolsbetween the rows of seeding, of plants, etc., even in close proximity to the said rows. and with,- out any danger of contact with the latter.

The machine. will thus perform various operations which are successive, rapid and exact, be-

tween the rows of plants, and quite close to the plants without any risk of damageto the, same. According toanother characteristic of the invention, themachine comprises an auiziliary frame carrying supports which are transversely adjustable, each of which is adapted tojreceive one, or more tools whichcan thus readily be 3 placedinthe lateral direction according to the spacing between the various lines of cultivation, and also inRthe lengthwise direction according to thesuccessive operations to be performed, during a givenpassage of the machine. d .Furthercharacteristics will be set forth in the following description.

given' solely by way of example; e jl is a diagrammatic elevational view of a machine in conformity to theinvention.

, d Fig. 2 is a corresponding plan view.

Figs.6and 7 are crosssections of wheelrims which may be advantageouslyused.

, dis a diagrammatic front Vie whe l es w th e sie lt h of plants, etc., according to lines which are al-' *or driving wheels.

two steering wheels 1.

rest 2%(Figs. 1, 2 and 3). d H i The rotation of the ring 9 with reference to to the frame l2. about its, trunnions the steering wheel for use in the machine.

In the embodiment herein represented, the 5. machine comprises arigid frame consisting of twoside bars I (Figs. 1 and 2) which are connected together at the front by two cross-pieces 2 and 3, and in therear by a cross-pieced.

The saidframe rests in the rear upon an axle 10 5 mounted upon two wheels 6 which have preferably a variable spacing and the rim of which may be flat, but will have preferably a triangular or like section, asshown in Fig. 7, by which it will trace upon the ground a furrow adapted to guide the machine on the next trip.

The machine may be drawn directly or by cable or by means of an engine or motor, and in the respective cases, the wheels 6 are loose wheels In the front part, the frame rests upon one or v Such wheels (Fig. 8 or 9) have preferably a rim of triangular section (Fig.

6) and are mounted on oneor two side-plates 8 .Whichare secured to a large ring 9 (Figs. 3 and .fitted upon its, whole periphery into a ring in two parts Wand, ll, of U-section, in such way that the ring 9 can rotate on its vertical axis with reference to the members Ill and H. The said members are fitted into a frame l2 which is slidable across the frame of the machine, and the cross-pieces Zhand 3 having a U-section, or

the like, serve as guides for this purpose. The

cross-piece 2 is provided preferably with a foot- 4 the fixed rings l0 and II, which provides for the steering by the wheel or wheels I, is effected for instance by the following device.

, The ring 9 is provided (Figs. 3 and 4) with a sector l3 having bevelled teeth, cooperating with apinion M which is keyed to the end of a steering tube l5 (Figs. 1 12014) carrying at the top a steering wheel IB or like steering device. The

,said tube I5 is rotatable in a sleeve I! mounted on two trunnions I8 operating in respective bearings l9 whicharesecured by two supports 20 By turning the said tube l5 'a bolt 25 with nut 26, adapted for insertion through any one of a set of holes 21 in the sector 2d. Onthe end of the said sector is mounted an arm 28 which is tubular upon the whole or a part of its length, and a solid or hollow rod/9 (Figs. 1 and 2) is adapted to slide in said arm and to be regulated in position. At the end of the said rod 29 is mounted a member 35 (Figs. 1, 2, 5)

' having the form of a V or the like, which is used as a sighting device and may be painted in white or in red in order' to make a contrast with the ground or the plants.

It will be observed that by adjusting the length of the telescoping arm 28 and 29, and also of its position about the axis 22, the sighting device 35 can be brought to the desired distance from the ground, and for instance, just above the level of the rows of plants, and when the rear wheels 6 are located between two rows of plants, the sighting device can be brought just above a line L (Fig. 2) of the plants or above any other line marked on the ground, such as a furrow, a cord, or the like, by the displacement of the whole front part of the machine by sliding this part in the guides consisting of the crosspieces 2 and '3.

To the frame of the machine are secured, by means of two supports 31' (Figs. 1 and 2) which are preferably, hinged in the rear at 32, the crossbars 33 and 34 adapted for the sliding movement of a seat 35, which can thus be readily brought adjacent the front part of the machine.

At the rear, two handles 36 are mounted on the frame, in order to facilitate the operating of the machine, for instance at the ends of the rows of plants;

An, auxiliary frame or chassis is pivotally mounted, on the. main frame, upon transverse journals 31 located at the front part, the said chassis consisting of two sets 38 and 39 of two side-bars, which are connected together by uprights 45, M, 52, 43 and by cross-pieces 4A to 55. The said chassis is adjustable in height by oscillation about the axis of the journals 31, and it may thus be operated by hand or by any other suitable means. It may beheld at the desired height by any suitable means, for instance by a curved piece 56 having notches 51 adapted for the engagement of a spring-bolt 58 which can be released by a handle 59, or the like, when it is desired to change the position of the auxiliary chassis.

Upon the sets of cross-pieces of said chassis d5, 48 and 46, 49, on the one hand, and 5|, 54 and 52, 55 on the other hand, are mountedsuitable pairs of bars 60. The said bars are secured by suitable means, and for instance by lugs 6|, bolts 52 and nuts,in all desired transverse positions, by means of the series of holes 63 formed in the cross-pieces. The bars 60 may be pressed together by bolts 54. and nuts, or otherwise, in order to hold the shanks 65 of various tools 66 between them and thus to maintain them in all directions.

It will thus be observed that such tools can be suitably spaced, firstly as to the longitudinal direction of the machine, by moving their shanks 55 along the bars 60 which are slightly spaced apart by the said rods, except in the case in which they are provided with notches at intervals for receiving the said shanks; secondly, as to transverse position, by the proper choice of the sets of bars employed and of their transverse position on the cross-pieces.

As an example, tools which may be used and for which the mounting and the interchangeable conditions are provided in the, interior of the frame, are as follows: a

Sowing drills 61, which are preferably independent, that is, with one drill per line;

Weeding tools termed weed-hooks, which operate preferably on the bias and are employed for cutting off the weeds by a slanting drive;

Cultivators, or rods used for harrowing, which is the most important work of the machine; the

teeth of said cultivators have advantageously a lenticular cross section, by which they are very strong and give but little resistance to traction (Fig. 10

Hillingtools; I Pulling tools, which remove the earth next the roots orcut off the roots at one or two centimeters from the ground, so that after the passage of the machine it is simply necessary to pick up the vegetables, such as salads, spinach, corn-salad, etc.

The machine can also contain, between the cross-pieces 41, '48, 49 and 50, 51,52, suitable rollers 68 which wheels 6.

Suitable tools 69 may also be mounted at the rear of the wheels 6. I

.The machine is completed by a tracing device adapted to trace on' the ground a furrow parallel to the line L (Fig. 2) at any desired distance from theline traced by the rear wheel on the right (or left) hand or from theline followed by the sighting device'30. The said tracing dethe end of an arm H which may be plain or telescoping, and. is pivoted at 12 to a slider 13 whose transverse position on the rearbross-piece 4 of the frame can be regulated. The arm H carries a weight M and is slidablein one orthe other of twovertical guides 16 which are mounted on the frame in order tdprevent the action of the ground on the tracer Iii causing'the arm H to move to the rear.

The general method of use of the machine is as follows: I

When it is necessary to perform a first series of operationson a given piece of ground which does'not comprise rows of plants or of furrows, such as a seed-plot, themachine is moved over a first band of groundeither by estimating, or' by guiding, by means. of the sighting device, upon a tracing cord. During this first passage, the tracer 10 will trace, laterally, a marking furrow. Upon reaching thelend of the ground, the driver leaves his seat 35, and raises the rear part of the movable frame in order to remove thetools from the earth, and can lift up the sighting device30 if desired. .He then bears upon the handles 36,

are loose on the axle 5 of the the front part of the'machine is now raised, the

machine will pivot upon the rear wheels 6. The driver can thus place the said rear wheels upon the next line for starting. ,He then moves the front part so as to bring the sighting device 30 above the line formed by the tracer l0, and lowers the sighting device upon this line. He then brings the seat 35 adjacent the front part, and

mounts upon this seat, and the machine is ready sighting device .a certain number will way of example.

In order to prevent any encroaching upon the first passage, and also to prevent any departure from the latter, the driver steers the front wheels by the steering wheel H5, in such waythat the sighting device the line formed by the tracer Ill during the preceding passage of the machine.

In thecase of work to be done between existing rows of plants, the tracer 10 is no longer necessary, and the driver needs only hold the 30 upon a line of plants suchas L for instance, in order that the front and rear wheels and the tools may pass between these rows of plants if in the first place, the front axle set and with it the sighting device, the tools and the wheels have been properly placed according to the distance between the rows of plants and .to their nature.

The machine according to the invention can be used for a great variety of operations, of which The case is supposed to relate to a tilled soil, with an ordinary harrowing in order to break up the clods and to equalize the ground, and then rolling with the roller in orderito obtain a uniform surface.

By a single passage, the machine according to the invention will perform the following opera.- tions.

1. A deep harrowing, with the use of a certain number of cultivators having different depths and provided with teeth having a lenticular cross section and mounted one back of the other in the movable frame. Thus the ground can be mellowed to 10, 15 or even 20 centimeters depth, and upon the whole width between the wheels.

2. A complete seeding upon a certain number of lines, with the seeds or grain covered. The drills will be placed at the rear of the last teeth of the cultivators. l

3. A rolling of the ground after seeding, by means of the rollers 68. It is a known fact that the rolling is quite necessary, for the proper growing .of certain seeds, such as carrots and beets, whose seeds should be put into a properly mellowed ground, which is then tamped at the top.

4. A harrowing between the rows. It is supposed that carrots have been seeded in rows of 0.20 meter spacing. In the rear of the rollers is used a cultivator for 0.15 meter width width (with a depth of two or three fingers). The air and the sun will enter between the rows, of which only 5 centimeters will be practically rolled. Thus the carrot seed will be planted in the middle of this band of 5 centimeters.

In a single passage, four different operations have been performed, which complete oneanother and form a most approved combination.

A few weeks after, the plants have appeared.

A second passage is then made withthe machine exactly in the same lines of the wheels, which will have left their traces upon the ground. The front axle set is adjusted, by means of the sighting device, upon one of the rows of plants. The

30 will always be exactly above be further indicated, by

middle of the seat is placed in the same axis.

The following operations are then performed on several lines, upon the width of the machine.

1. A removal of the weeds, which will have grown between the rows, with the universal weed-hooks, at about one centimeter depth.

ford a weeding and a harrowing, by the use of cultviators having fine teeth of lenticular section, which now enter the ground to a depth of eight or ten centimeters, thus effacing the traces of steps and furthering the growth. The traces of the wheels are then eifaced by means of a cultivator mounted back of the wheels of the machine. During the growth, two or three passages with the machine fitted with the cultivators will insure an abundant group.

Another advantage of the machine is that it will provide for the cultivation certain other kinds of plants.

Obviously the invention is not limited to the of plants between embodiment herein described. and represented,

which is given solely by way of example.

Having. now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An agricultural machine comprising a rolling frame adapted to roll on the ground, at least one tool carried by said frame and adapted to operate on the ground, sighting means disposed at the front of the frame and adapted to indicate the direction of travel of the machine and means slidably mounting said sighting means in said frame for adjustment transversely thereof.

2. An agricultural machine according to claim 1, further comprising a seat for the driver which is slidably mounted in said frame in the transversal direction and is adapted to be brought in the alignment of said sighting means.

3. An agricultural machine comprising a frame, two rear wheels rotatably mounted on said frame about a horizontal axis at the rear of said frame, a front wheel carrier rotatably mounted on said frame about a substantially vertical axis, at least one wheel rotatably mounted onsaid carrier about ahorizontal axis, contro1ling means adapted to rotate said carrier about said vertical axis, at least one tool carried by said frame and adapted to operate on the ground, and sighting means mounted on said carrier and projecting in front of said frame and adapted to indicate the directionof travel of the machine.

4. An agricultural machine as claimed in claim carrier rotatable about a substantially vertical axis at the front of said frame, controlling means adapted to turn said carrier about said vertical characterized by the provision of a front wheel 

